Wednesday, October 6, 2010

"The Amusement Park Terror" (St. John;1953)

The second spooky tale from Strange Terrors #6 (Jan.1953) also features work by an unidentified writer & artist.

Murder, mayhem and greed go hand in hand in "The Amusement Park Terror", which shows what happens when one persons obsession turns into something much more macabre. Plus a young married couple may discover that their inheritance is far more trouble than it's worth!

How it all began ....

In 1933, publishers at Eastern Color Press, intent to make better use of their printing equipment (which frequently sat idle between jobs), came up with the idea of printing an 8-page comic section that could be folded down from the large broadsheet to a smaller 9-inch by 12-inch format. The result was the first modern comic book. Containing reprints of newspaper comic strips, this experimental comic book titled "Funnies On Parade" was given away for free. It proved so popular that the following year Eastern published "Famous Funnies" and took the bold step of selling the comic for ten cents through chain stores. The enterprise was a smashing success and Eastern began churning out numerous reprints on a monthly basis. Other publishers, eager to get in on the profits, jumped on the bandwagon and the comic book industry was born!